Carousell’s Nightmare: Bump Feature, End of Days

For those who are complaining about the new paid feature called bump, continue doing so. You are doing it right. The new Bump feature is a game changer to all Carousellers, and it’s not a great change at all. It is the first and most predictable step of converting the zero profit app into a money-making freemium app. Is it the end of days for Carousell users and the domination of the unregistered “businesses” flooding the market?

All you need to know about Bump

Bump works the same away as it is on forum sites. The basic 3-day bump bundle priced at S$2.98 will move your post all the way to the top for three days at the exact time you purchased the bump. For example, bumping a listing at 7 PM will lead to 2 more bumps at 7 PM for the next two days.

The effect of a bump is instant but varies across different search keywords. This is because a bumped listing still behaves like a regular listing and will move downwards again as more Carousell users list or bump a similar item onto the platform. You can track your bumps by clicking on the Listing Insights.

And for dummies, no, a bump does not guarantee a sale. It only increases the exposure and reach of your listing. To learn more on how to further optimise your listings without using paid methods, or finding the best keywords, read our comprehensive guide.

1. When to Bump

According to our research, the best times to post anything online in Singapore is typically 5-7 AM, 11-3 PM and 8-9 PM. Note that down if you want to have maximum exposure to your listings, Facebook or even Instagram photos. However, contrary to popular belief, you should not use bumps at these timings.

Granted boosting at these timings is theoretically the best times to get more views; it will be extremely competitive to remain at the top even if you Bumped your items. Using logical thinking, many other Carousellers would have the same mindset as you do and your listings will be pushed downwards in a matter of minutes.

Instead, always experiment with odd timings to boost your listing. You could test it out by promoting at midnight, working hours, etc. Do note that these times are subject to changes – our behaviour and habits can change over time. Remember, you are trying to maximise the effects of the bump and the S$2.98 you just spent.

2. What do you use Carousell for?

Never use the Bump feature if you are a casual user on Carousell i.e. selling used items. Not even if your item costs a thousand bucks. Carousell is increasingly less of a place for Singaporeans to get rid of 2nd hand stuff as time goes by. The bump feature is targeted towards “businesses” on Carousell who have large amounts of stock available for all their items. Hence, spending S$2.98 is only justifiable and cost effective if you have lots of the same thing you are trying to sell.

You do not need to bump expensive items as well since the competition are a lot lower than low-cost items.

3. Never Reserve Your Bump Listing

This is the dumbest mistake anyone can make. Reserving your item will render it invisible and unsearchable on Carousell. Subsequent Bumps will still take place as scheduled but will not produce any results at all. Remind yourself not to use the paid feature in the first place if the item is bound to sell well or is consistently high in demand.

4. Price your Listings Insanely High!

This may seem a little unorthodox, but hear us out. If you have read the FAQ, you would have known that increasing the price after redeeming the free bump will have its effects void and return the listing back to its pre-bumped state. On the other hand, pricing your item a lot higher than the intended price at the start entitles you to more free bumps than usual. However, make sure you activate it through the Free bump option!

You should also include the “real” price elsewhere, such as on your cover image, listing title and description, so as to inform viewers that the price of your item is not as high as stated or is available for negotiation.

The Carousell Nightmare

Just as Facebook, Google and YouTube has done, tweaking and limiting the potential of Organic (Unpaid/Natural) posts and search results is so simple. It is likely that Carousell may follow suit and make it more compelling for users to purchase their bumps as well. Don’t forget; the founders still have to answer to more than US$35 million worth of investments. It will not be surprising to see more premium features surfacing on this Singapore-made online trading marketplace.

Deprecated way to boost listings

An app that was initially made to beat freemium marketplaces, such as Gumtree, Qoo10 Marketplace and Shopee, has now too joined the dark side. It will not be surprising to see more premium features surfacing on this Singapore-made online trading marketplace.

While it is impossible to tell everyone to boycott an online service/feature, we would like to urge everyone not to give up on SEO and concentrate on writing optimised post titles, descriptions and cover images. Focusing on keyword research and building a loyal fanbase to your Carousell profile will hopefully still be the way to go.

Important Update: It is true that Carousell has implemented blocking algorithms to aid their money sucking activities. This has rendered relisting of items prohibited, and some of the topics we discussed in earlier parts are no longer valid and relevant. Hence, Guidesify will be doing a further exploration of the topic of Carousell’s new update in our next article.

Since you are here, why not read our 7-part guide series on Carousell? Do follow us on Facebook too for more juicy content!